Former AIADMK minister CV Shanmugam on Sunday made a series of public allegations against party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, asking why the leadership remains silent even as the party “weakens day by day.” He also questioned why the party has not convened the general council and executive committee to review the recent election outcome.
Shanmugam referred to the Assembly election in which AIADMK won 47 seats. He said a group of 25 AIADMK MLAs—led by him—had extended support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) when it fell short of a majority. According to him, the TVK side had assured ministerial positions, but later refused after proving its majority on the Assembly floor.
He said the episode led to confusion within AIADMK, with some MLAs returning to the Palaniswami camp while four resigned their seats and joined TVK. Shanmugam also pointed to the party leadership removing posts from those who had moved against Palaniswami and appointing new office-bearers, and alleged that the earlier posts were not restored even after some returned.
In his remarks, Shanmugam claimed AIADMK has faced repeated defeats under Palaniswami since the death of J Jayalalithaa, and accused him of not allowing internal questioning or debate. He further alleged that Palaniswami listens only to his family, is surrounding himself with loyalists, and is attempting to bring his son into politics.
Shanmugam said party workers and functionaries are leaving in large numbers and argued that AIADMK’s performance depended heavily on its alliance with the PMK, claiming most of the wins came with that support. He urged the leadership to “carry everyone along” and demanded that the general council and executive committee be convened to examine the reasons for the defeat, warning that otherwise they would not remain silent indefinitely.
